Ronald Lauder, head of Estée Lauder, purchased and has subsequently returned a painting stolen from the Russian Museum in St Petersburg. Kiprensky’s 1829 portrait of Peter Basin was among 182 Russian Museum paintings taken by the Nazis to Berlin in 1948. In 1996 Mr Lauder bought the painting at the Mauerbach auction of unclaimed items thought to belong to Austrian Jews. The Russian Ministry of Culture has paid Lauder £100,000 compensation and the Lauders presented the painting to the Russian Museum in March.
Originally appeared in The Art Newspaper as ‘Ronald Lauder'